Asake “Mr Money”:The Messiah

It was sometime in the early 1900s. Between the adjustments to the new Crown rule and the outbreak of measles, in the remote village of Ijebu Igbo, a male child was born. To his parents, he held a promise of wealth, their very own promised child.  For this reason, on the eight-day of his birth, they named him ‘Ishola’ (The Home of Wealth).Asake

To other people, he was famously known as ‘Baba Ngani Agba’ but to a new blooming generation, we call him Haruna Ishola. At this point, you would not be reaching if you are questioning how in the seven hells, he is the promised messiah. In an era of British Colonization where most of the other musicians had adapted the use of western instruments, Haruna stood firm on his gospel and carried the flag of Apala music. This genre mostly comprised of the use of indigenous Yoruba proverbs and Koranic scriptures with zero western instruments.

Emi a gbo eyin elegbe mo ni
Ise ti kaluku bati mo ni ko ma te pa mo
Musiliu Awa la la Apala gidi
Apala gidi lawon shey lo jo to ti pe oti ro wa loru

I will listen to my band members.
 Be diligent with your work
We own Apala Music
We make the best Apala; it is easy for us.

Haruna Ishola on ‘Opon Apala Ti Sun’His praise singing was so powerful that he could call you an idiot and you would still feel like the best idiot the world ever created. It is no wonder that he had 28 children and said, ‘God destined me to have 28 children and so be it’.

In some way, this reminds me of Ololade Mr Money. No. Not the excessive childbearing but whose name ‘Ahmed’ means ‘highly praised’ and which shoes he has filled brazenly.

Asake appeared to us like a thief in the night, but the beauty of his appearance is that a lot of kneading was done in the backgrounds. He came with an unspoken amount of confidence that we could only spot through his grinning with his teeth grills.

Since he was publicly announced by Olamide as a signed member of the YBNL, in the span of six months, he has risen to the top so much that people fear he cannot out-do this speedy rise with every new track. From Peace Be Unto You, to Sungba, to Palazzo to Bandana and Omo Ope, he has continously topped the charts wih his singles.

Asake’s music is a fusion of Apala, Highlife and Afrobeats. He like the former messiah brings to this generation a vibrant use of his traditional Yoruba tongue. The average person in my generation does not at first glance understand the majority of his lyrics but his confidence in singing somehow convinces us that we are everything he sings about.

Mr Money has no songs in only English but uses a fusion of Yoruba and English. His uses of Biblical and Quranic allusions brings him even closer to the most common of man. All of his songs embody what e want to be. Living the best life, Prayers against failure and A little Bit(Okay an excessive) amount of sauce.

IS HE SELLING CONFIDENCE OR GOOD MUSIC?

Asake’s confidence is quite infectious. He has had me, a broke, undergraduate calling myself ‘omo ope’ or ‘omo ologo’ and to others who have not fully discovered their capabilities, ‘ilefo chameleon’.

WHY IS ASAKE RINSING THE SAME BEATS?

To be very honest, we do not care. All we know is that Asake is our Messiah. His new album, ‘Mr Money with the Vibe‘ brings a new batch of specials with a transition so prefect that the entire album sounds like one good song.

On ‘Dull‘, he begins with his signature use of a choral background. With accompaniment by a sonorous saxophonist and amapiano beats. He promises to never ‘dull’ and leaves us hopeful for what the rest of the album has in store.

Terminator is the most unsexual sexual song I have heard this year. Also his use of ‘come chop my banana’ must have been intentional because it oozes of so much confidence. Unlike other artistes who will tell you they will give you banana. Asake knows he is that guy and commands whoever to come and chop his banana.

The flow into Organize is just heavenly. You just know the saxophonist was paid in full for his  work. Using the choral or anthem backup, he makes us seem like the main character in the song.

To be completely honest, I may not be a music analyst, but I can attest that Asake is undeniably an omo ologo in the music industry. His unique style came unexpectedly, but it was a refreshing addition.Flashing back to what Olamide said to him on Trabaye

Thank you Asake for being the messiah. And for being the ladies’ man (wink).

With All Love,